Planning ahead is a gift to the people you love. Let a gentle guide help you do it.
Forethought is an independent information and referral service. We don’t provide funeral arrangements ourselves — we gently connect you with licensed providers for pre-planned and pre-paid arrangements, so you can record your wishes and spare your family hard decisions later. There is no rush, no sales pitch, and no obligation.
Free, unhurried guidance — plan ahead at whatever pace feels right
Licensed providers for pre-planned and pre-paid arrangements — we gently connect you, we never provide the services ourselves
One field on this page: your email. No pressure, no sales pitch
Forethought is an independent referral service, not a funeral home. We do not provide pre-planned or pre-paid arrangements. Pre-paid arrangements involve money; this page is not financial or legal advice. Prices, plans and options vary by provider and location; nothing here is guaranteed.
Peace of mind, planned ahead
Licensed providers, unhurried, no pressure
Thoughtful & unhurried Licensed providers We connect · we don't provide Transparent, itemized pricing Email only · at your pace
Start here
One email connects you to a licensed pre-planning provider
No long forms, no pressure, no waiting on hold. You share an email address; we gently help connect you with a licensed provider near you — whenever you’re ready to plan ahead.
At your paceNo rush and no sales pitch — plan only what feels right, when it feels right
50 statesLicensed funeral and pre-planning providers across the U.S.
You decideNo obligation — you choose the provider, the plan and every detail, always
Forethought is an independent information and referral service, not a funeral home. Figures describe the service, not any promised result; availability of providers varies by location.
How it works
Four gentle steps, entirely at your pace
Here is exactly what happens after you reach out — no surprises, no pressure, and no one committing you to anything without your say-so.
Planned ahead, with care
Reach out
We listen
Plan the details
Set in place
At peace
01Step one
Reach out, when you're ready
Share one email address and, when you feel ready, a little about what you'd like to plan ahead. That's the whole ask on this page. No pressure, no forms, no details you don't want to share.
02Step two
We gently connect you
We help connect you with a licensed provider near you who can walk through pre-planned and pre-paid options with patience and care. Forethought doesn't provide the arrangements itself — we make a gentle introduction.
03Step three
Compare options and pricing
The provider walks you through choices and an itemized price list, so you understand every option and cost before anything is set in place. Prices, plans and options vary by provider and location.
04Step four
You decide, in your own time
Put a plan in place that reflects your wishes and spares your family hard decisions later — on terms you agree to directly. You are never obligated, and you decide only what you're ready to.
Forethought is an independent information and referral service. We do not provide funeral arrangements ourselves — we help connect you with licensed providers for pre-planned and pre-paid arrangements. Any provider you choose is independently responsible for the plans and services it provides. Prices and options vary, and nothing is guaranteed.
How we help
Every part of planning ahead, gently guided
Whatever you’d like to arrange in advance, we aim to connect you with providers who handle it with care. Descriptions below are general information — options and pricing come from the provider you choose.
Pre-planned funeral arrangements
Decided in advance
Work with a licensed provider to plan the service, ceremony and details ahead of time, so your wishes are known and your family isn't left guessing.
Options vary by provider.
Pre-paid funeral plans
Arranged and paid ahead
Explore plans that let you pay for arrangements in advance. Ask exactly how the funds are held and protected before you commit — this is your money.
Plans and terms vary by provider and state.
Recording & sharing your wishes
Your voice, written down
Capture your preferences for the service, music, readings and more, and share them with the people who will one day carry them out.
Formats vary by provider.
Price-lock & inflation-protection guidance
Understand what's guaranteed
Some pre-paid plans aim to lock in today's prices against future increases. Ask a provider what is, and isn't, guaranteed — and get it in writing.
Terms and protections vary by plan and state.
Burial vs. cremation, decided in advance
A choice made calmly
Think through burial, cremation or another option ahead of time, without pressure. A decision made calmly now is one less for your family to make later.
Availability varies by provider.
Cemetery / plot pre-purchase
A place set aside
Get help understanding cemetery plots, niches and pre-purchase, so a resting place can be chosen and set aside gently in advance.
Availability and pricing vary by location.
Final-wishes documentation
Written and shared
Put your wishes into clear documents your family and provider can rely on, and keep them somewhere your loved ones can find them.
Requirements vary by state.
Family & beneficiary coordination
Everyone on the same page
Bring the right family members or beneficiaries into the conversation, so everyone understands the plan and no one is caught off guard later.
Approach varies by family and provider.
Transferable plans if you relocate
Plans that move with you
If you might move, ask whether a plan can transfer to another area or provider, so your arrangements can travel with you when life changes.
Transferability varies by provider and plan.
The services above are general information only. Forethought does not arrange, provide or price any of these services itself — we connect you with licensed providers. Prices, plans and options vary by provider and location, and nothing is guaranteed. Pre-paid arrangements involve money; ask any provider for an itemized price list, and how funds are protected, before you decide.
You’re planning ahead
When planning ahead helps most
There is no wrong time to plan ahead. These are the moments people most often decide to put thoughtful arrangements in place.
You want to spare your family hard choices
Planning ahead means your loved ones won't have to guess at your wishes or make difficult decisions during a painful time. It is a genuine gift to them.
You'd like to lock in your wishes and pricing
Putting a plan in place lets you record exactly what you want and, with some pre-paid plans, ask about protecting today's pricing against future increases.
You're planning your own arrangements
Many people find real peace of mind in arranging things themselves — calmly and unhurried — so everything reflects their own wishes, in their own words.
You're helping a parent plan ahead
You'd like to help an aging parent or loved one put thoughtful arrangements in place, gently and together, well before they are ever needed.
Whoever you consider, take your time: confirm the provider is licensed, ask for an itemized price list (your right under the FTC Funeral Rule), and if you’re considering a pre-paid plan, ask how your funds are protected. You can also look up a provider at the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org).
Why Forethought
We connect you. We don’t provide the arrangements ourselves.
That is the whole model, and we say it plainly. Forethought is an independent information and referral service — the licensed provider you choose provides the pre-planned or pre-paid arrangements, on terms you agree to directly with them.
We connect — we don't provide the arrangements
Forethought is an independent information and referral service. Pre-planned and pre-paid arrangements are provided by the licensed provider you choose, never by us.
Licensed providers
We help connect you with independent, licensed funeral and pre-planning providers. Each is separately responsible for the plans and services it provides to your family.
You have the right to clear pricing
Under the FTC Funeral Rule, providers must give you an itemized price list and let you choose only what you want. We help connect you; we never set or collect fees.
Ask how your money is protected
Pre-paid arrangements involve real money. Ask any provider how funds are held — in a trust or through insurance — and what your state's protections are. This page is general information, not financial or legal advice.
Composite stories
What planning ahead can feel like
Gentle, honest accounts of what the referral experience can be like.
I finally sat down and planned my own arrangements. Forethought connected me with a patient, licensed provider who explained every option and never rushed me. Knowing my family won't have to figure it all out is an enormous relief.
MMargaret S. Asheville, North Carolina
We wanted to help my father put a plan in place while he was well. The provider walked us through an itemized price list and answered every question about how the pre-paid funds are protected. No pressure — just clear answers.
DDavid L. Madison, Wisconsin
I'd been meaning to sort this out for years. One email, a gentle introduction, and I set everything in place at my own pace. It feels less like planning for the end and more like caring for the people I love.
PPriya R. Fremont, California
Composite, illustrative examples, not statements from identified people; individual experiences vary. Nothing here predicts or promises a result. Prices, plans and options vary by provider and location.
Know your rights
A little guidance before you decide
A few gentle reminders that protect you and your family. These are genuinely useful — and free public resources — that apply no matter who you choose.
How to plan ahead with confidence
Whether you work with someone we connect you to or find on your own, keep these in mind:
Ask for an itemized price list. The FTC Funeral Rule gives you the right to a General Price List and to choose only what you want.
Ask how pre-paid funds are protected. Ask whether a plan is trust-funded or insurance-funded, and what protections your state provides — and get it in writing.
Confirm the plan is transferable if you move. Ask whether a plan can move with you to another area or provider before you commit.
Take your time — there’s no rush. A good provider will never pressure you. Decide only what feels right, when it feels right.
No. Forethought is an independent information and referral service. We do not provide funerals, cremation, burial, pre-paid plans or any related services ourselves — we gently help connect you with licensed providers for pre-planned and pre-paid arrangements. Any provider you choose is independently responsible for the plans and services it provides to your family.
Whenever you’re ready
A thoughtful plan, made at your pace.
One email gently connects you with a licensed provider for unhurried, pre-planned and pre-paid guidance. There is no pressure and no obligation — only care, at your pace.
An independent referral service — we connect, we don’t provide the arrangements ourselves
Prefer to talk with someone? Call (888) 555-0307. Pre-paid arrangements involve money; this page is not financial or legal advice. Prices and options vary, and nothing is guaranteed.
